A shooting victim killed one of his attackers in a home invasion over the weekend, according to Baltimore County police.

Shorty before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities said two people broke into an upper-level home in the Hartland Apartments complex in the 1400 block of Strawflower Road in Essex and shot a man multiple times.

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The victim fought back, eventually hitting one of the men in the head with a blunt object, killing him, police said. Police later identified the decesased attacker as Kenneth David Cox, 24.

The second shooter, for whom there was no description, fled the scene.

"It's unique when you've got a robbery case and the victim actually fights back," said police Lt. Rob McCullough. He said the home invasion was no random act, but investigators are trying to figure out what drew the men to the apartment.

"It appears the suspects -- if they didn't know this victim, they knew of this victim, and they specifically targeted this individual," McCullough said.

Authorities said the victim was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

Investigators said they believe the incident wasn't random, but they're still working to determine how the assailants knew the victim, if at all.

Meanwhile, frustrated neighbors like Laurie Patrick said they've watched the neighborhood take a turn in recent years with gang issues and drugs.

"You come home, and you really don't want to be bothered with any of that. It was very close," Patrick said.

Neighbor Sheresse Wardlaw said she's unnerved after hearing the gunshots.

"You never think it's going to happen right next door to you," she said. "I have three kids, and I want to move because it's getting so bad."

Officials said the intruder who was killed hasn't been identified because he wasn't carrying ID.

Anyone with information on the case or the whereabouts of the second assailant is urged to call Baltimore County police at 410-307-2020.